The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-09-01
TRAlTORS 10 The FLAG.
A Term That Can Justly he Applied to
the Republican Party.

lRAlTORS TO THE FLAG.
n Ierrn Ihat Can Justly BE Applied to
the Republican Party.
The New York Tribune says the Democrats
constitute the party of rebellion" In the
name OF common sense, il the Democrats con-
stitute the party OF rebellion, what shall be
said of the Ohio Republicans who nominated
Foraker, the man who, in connection with the
question OF the return Of the flags, threatened
TO organize a rebellion against the United
States authorities: What shall be said of the
Republican party as whole, seeing that for
over twenty years IL has been in an attitude OF
rebellion" against every effort to obliterate
sectional lines-seeing that il persistently an
tagonizes every sentiment tending TO allay the
passions engendered by the war.-RichHond
Dispatch.
The Republican party lives in the
past. and has no affinity with the is
sues of the present day. Its leaders
would subvert the constitution, trample
on the liberties of the people, and
usurp the functions of the Government.
if they had the courage to put in prac-
tical operation what they most earnest
ly desire. They maintain their con-
troll of the Legislature i'll this
State by a shameless disregard
of sacred constitutional obligations,
and by refusing to grant an equitable
reapportionment. They have held
possession of the Legislature in Con-
necticut by Il monstrouS system of mis-
representation. whereby certain small
towns, casting a few hundred votes,
have rs much representation in the
law-making body as Hartford and New
Haven, which cast thousands of votes.
While the South has cast behind it the
passions and evil feelings of the war,
and has entered with marvellous en-
ergy upon an unexampled career of
prosperity, the Republican leaders and
their organs are ceaselessly proclaim
ing that the war is not over, and are
endeavOring in every way to re-enkin-
die the embers of sectional hate.
Mr. Blaine, Immediately after his de-
feat in 1884, INDUCED in a TRADE of
abuse against the South, and declared
in effect that Mr. Cleveland was not
fairly elected. The Republican press
quickly took up the cue, and has MAIN
tanned ever since the most dastardly
warfare on the Administration ever
known in the history of politics. Sem
atOr Sherman, in his Springfield QlL)
speech, deliberately spoke of the Gov
ernment at Washington as the Confed
crate Government, and, ghoul-like,
violated the graves of the dead past.
The warm, enthusiastic invitation of
the citizens of St. Louis to the PreSi-
dent of the United States to visit them
caused Tuttle, an Iowa Republican
leader, to prostitute the position he
occupied in the Grand Army of the
Republic to the basest partisan ends,
by threatening the President with per-
sonal violence if he should visit that
city. The offer of Adjutant-General
Drum, Republican, to return to the
various States the battle-fags stored
in the WarDepartment, caused another
Republican leader. Fairchild, to curse
the President in the most blasphemous
manner.
The Republican leaders and their
organs, by their incessant efforts to
tear open the wounds of the civil war
and to promote disuniOn, are the only
rebels of the present day. They can
net realize the spirit of the age, but
live in the past and persist in their
fruitless and disloyal work of breed
ing hate. The Democratic party
deals only with the issues of the pres
ent day. Since it obtained the control
of the Government all its energies
have been directed towards purifyiOg
the Federal service, which had become
honeycombed with corruption during
the long reign of Republican rascality,
developing the illimitable resources of
the country, checking the iniquitous
tendencies of the mOnopolies, which
were the creation of Republican Gov
ernment, and seeking in every way to
weld in the bonds of union and
fraternity all sections of our common
country. 1t is the Stars and Stripes
against the Bloody Shirt, reunited
people against coterie of disappointed
politicians. 1t is not difficult to fore
tell the result. The American people
will put down the Blaine-Sherman-
Foraker -Tuttie-F Fairchild rebellion as
efficiently as they did the one twenty
two years ago, and the Bloody Shirt
will be buried by their votes beyond
the power of resurrection.-ALbany
IN. T. J ArQuS.